


Between Rock and Ice

by Grimalkenkid



Category: Bionicle - All Media Types, Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Soen no Kiseki/Akatsuki no Megami | Fire Emblem Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Human, Crossover, Fantasy, Gen, not sure how to tag this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-15
Updated: 2019-07-15
Packaged: 2020-06-28 16:14:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19815865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Grimalkenkid/pseuds/Grimalkenkid
Summary: Kopaka gets into trouble when his wyvern leaves him stranded.(Possible prologue for a longer story if there's interest.)





	Between Rock and Ice

For the third time in as many hours, Kopaka cursed his stupidity. He should’ve at least told Marika where he was going, but the ice prince just didn’t want to risk his father finding out about this little excursion and sending her after him. With zero other people aware of where he’d gone, it would take some time for the pegasus knight to locate the prince, by which time he would’ve been safely back at the Mount Ihu fortress. That was the plan, and it usually worked.

Of course, Kopaka didn’t expect his wyvern to get spooked and fly off while the prince was collecting the spoils of their hunt. And whatever gave the winged creature a scare was apparently bad enough that he wouldn’t return even after Kopaka whistled for him.

So, the ice prince began the long, uphill trek back to Mount Ihu. The ever moving glaciers had blocked off some of the faster routes to the capital, and so, even if he ran into no other troubles along the way, it would take Kopaka several days to get back home. If the pegasus knights didn’t find him first.

“Just what I needed,” the ice prince grumbled. “Another reason for dear old dad to saddle me with another babysitter. Mata Nui, why couldn’t that flea-bitten lizard leave me stranded a bit closer to home?”

The glaciers didn’t answer, and the rahi elk nearby quietly observed him. Kopaka hadn’t expected a reply, but the silence unnerved him nonetheless. Since it was the middle of the day, he should’ve at least been able to hear the cries of distant sunhawks. The prince sighed and shook his head, readying himself to traverse a narrower than usual ledge.

Just as he was ledge’s stability, a savage roar echoed off the mountains and valleys. Some of the snow higher on the hill came loose and tumbled towards Kopaka in a mini-avalanche. The ice prince tried to move out of the way, but it was slightly wider than he expected, and the frozen wave knocked him off balance.

Right onto the steep slope below.

Kopaka tried to scream but was rewarded with a mouthful of snow and dirt as he rolled down the incline. He had no idea what awaited him at the bottom, though he knew that, should he survive, it would hurt worse than a cracked sunburn.

For the fourth time, Kopaka cursed his stupidity.

Then he blacked out.

* * * * * * * * * *

An intense pressure on his chest roused Kopaka from his dreamless slumber. He felt the cold of ice melt soaking through his coat and groaned. It wasn’t warm enough for glaciers in the mountains to begin thawing, so that could only mean one thing. Kopaka had fallen all the way down the slope, into an icy rivulet at the border of the Rocky Expanse. That would add another week to his travel time.

Blinking the sleep out of his eyes, the ice prince realized that was the least of his concerns. The pressure, which he initially thought to be the lingering pain of several bruises, was actually a pile of solid blocks of ice pinning him against the embankment. Only his head and one arm were free; he could barely move the rest of his body.

Kopaka growled and pushed against the largest ice block. It gave a little but not nearly enough for the prince to pull himself free. _But it_ did _move,_ he thought with a bittersweet smile. _This is going to be a “fun” afternoon. Mata Nui…_

The ice prince braced himself as well as he could against the slippery embankment and began to push against the ice. For each solid heave, the blocks seemed to move only the breadth of a blade of grass. Kopaka was soon winded and relaxed against the half-frozen dirt to catch his breath.

“Not to say you’re not doing a good job, there,” a voice piped up somewhere behind the prince, “but you look like you could use some help.”

Kopaka immediately tensed and snapped his head to find the owner of the voice. He didn’t have to look hard, as the new arrival stepped into his line of sight and crouched down to more easily look him in the eye. He was a man around Kopaka’s age, the prince noted, but that was the only similarity. The man wore clothing more suited to a hot summer’s day than the constant chill of the mountains. His sleeveless tunic showed off lean, powerful muscles and the kind of tan that came from spending all his time outdoors. Most annoyingly, though, was the easy smile on the newcomer’s face that shone even more strongly in his golden eyes.

Kopaka grimaced and looked away. That damned smile drove all common sense from his mind, leaving only his stubborn pride in its wake. “I’m fine,” he said in the most commanding voice he could muster. “Now leave me be and stop gawking.”

The newcomer snorted and suppressed a laugh. “If you call this ‘fine,’ I’d hate to see you on a bad day.”

“Keep talking, and you’ll find out whether you want to or not,” Kopaka retorted. He couldn’t believe that someone found him in such a helpless state. It would only be a matter of time before tales of this encounter began circulating, and the prince could practically hear the muffled laughter of his peers and the disapproving tutting of his father. _Mata Nui… why not just kill me now and get this all over with?_

Either ignorant or uncaring of Kopaka’s cold shoulder, the newcomer hopped down into the rivulet with the ice prince, stopping beside the largest block of ice and tapping it curiously. “I’m serious,” he said, the light tone in his voice giving way to genuine concern. “I can get you out of there. It’s no fur off my tail.”

“I’m sure it’s not,” Kopaka hissed, gritting his teeth. “I still don’t require your assistance, so please leave.”

The newcomer shook his head. Crouching down below the ice block directly pressing on the prince’s chest, he flashed another big smile. “No can do, friend. You’ll hurt yourself. Let me do it.”

Before Kopaka could protest being called “friend” so casually, the newcomer braced his shoulders under the slab of ice, gripped the edge, and stood up. Despite the slab weighing several hundred pounds, the newcomer lifted it with ease. Kopaka gasped at the sudden release of pressure and scrambled up the embankment before the other blocks of ice could pin him again. However, the newcomer hardly seemed worried, hurling the slab a few wyvern-lengths away while the rest of the ice blocks fell ineffectually against his sturdy legs.

The ice prince stared in awe at the casual display of strength. He finally noticed that the newcomer wasn’t any regular matoran. His pointed ears were covered in brown fur, and he had a long tail that calmly swished back and forth.

“You’re… a laguz?” Kopaka asked, as if it weren’t obvious from that display of strength alone.

If it were possible, the newcomer had an even bigger grin on his face when he turned back to the ice prince. “Sure am. Tiger, in fact.” Hopping out of the rivulet, he extended his hand out to Kopaka. “My name’s Pohatu. What’s yours?”

“Kopaka,” he replied, absentmindedly taking the offered hand. A small bit of indignance cut through the haze of gratefulness, and he added sharply, “I hope you realize that your little stunt could’ve gotten me crushed. You _did_ see all the other ice blocks on top of me, right?”

“Oh… right,” Pohatu said sheepishly, easily pulled the prince to his feet. “Probably should’ve thought of that, but you’re fine now.” The tiger laguz patted the prince on the shoulder as he continued. “Anyways, well met, Kopaka. Mind if I ask what you’re doing out here? There’s not a lot nearby except trees and snow.”

Kopaka considered answering, but the reminder of how he ended up in that situation stung his already considerably wounded pride. “That would be my business, and mine alone. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I really should be going.” The ice prince turned on his heel and began trudging back up the slope.

Most people would’ve taken that as their cue to leave, but apparently Pohatu didn’t, as he fell into step behind Kopaka, easily matching his strides. “By yourself?” the tiger laguz asked.

“Yes,” Kopaka sighed. “By myself.”

“But you’re heading into the mountains. No one should walk alone up there. The Turaga made that really clear.”

“I came out here alone,” Kopaka said slowly, as if that would help Pohatu understand, “and I will return alone. I don’t need anyone’s help to navigate my home realm.”

“Well, that kinda makes sense,” the tiger laguz admitted, easily vaulting over a fallen tree as Kopaka carefully climbed it. “But you also got trapped under a bunch of ice alone.”

The glare Kopaka gave Pohatu could’ve frozen boiling water. Any goodwill the tiger laguz garnered from his timely aid had burned away, leaving the ice prince wishing he hadn’t come along at all. He spared no more words for the talkative man and continued on his way, hoping the silence would convince Pohatu to return to his own home.

* * * * * * * * * *

No matter how prideful Kopaka could be, Pohatu had his own brand of stubbornness. Onewa often chastised him for being too eager to help others, but the tiger just couldn’t wrap his head around the idea that might be a bad thing. And so, Pohatu stuck near the icy prince.

Well, he tried to.

The tiger was far more used to the foothills which bordered his clan’s territory, where snow was more common than ice. Snow acted like wet dirt, but even when covered with a foot or more of the fluffy stuff, ice always felt like it was trying to get out from under Pohatu’s feet. And on a few occasions, it did.

“Wah!” the tiger yelped as he fell face first in a snow drift. “Oof… how can you keep your feet under yourself in this stuff?”

Up ahead, Kopaka paused for the barest fraction of a second before moving on. The icy prince hadn’t said more than two words since they left the tree line, but Pohatu had gotten strangely used to the quiet. It gave him more chance to fill it with his own thoughts than he usually got back home.

“You know,” Pohatu said, scrambling to his feet and bounding after Kopaka, “I’ve been patrolling the border for years now, and you’re the first matoran from the Ice Kingdom I’ve seen. That’s odd, isn’t it?”

Kopaka made a sharp turn and climbed up a nearly invisible path between two rocks. The tiger tried to follow, but it was too tight of a squeeze. Shrugging, Pohatu simply jumped on top of the boulders and straddled the crevice as best he could.

“It’s amazing that you can navigate so well here,” he continued, glancing down to see the icy prince sidling through the narrow path. “Everything looks the same to me with all this white.”

“Then perhaps the Great Spirit is trying to tell you something,” Kopaka grumbled, finally breaking his hour long silence.

“Like how I should get better at navigating?”

Pohatu could’ve sworn he heard a soft chuckle from the icy prince, but whatever he heard was drowned out by a vicious roar. The tiger’s ears pricked up. That same sound had drawn him to investigate further into the mountains than he usually did. After all, if it belonged to some dangerous beast, he would need to let his clan know about it. This time, however, the sound came from somewhere far closer.

“Kopaka, you heard that, right?”

“I’d have to be deaf not to,” the icy prince replied, his words terse yet lacking his previous annoyance. “That’s the hunting cry of a muaka.”

Pohatu glanced around, straining to see any movement against the sea of white. “Just so we’re on the same page, what’s a muaka?”

“Big cat. Very dangerous. I’d suggest getting into a hole and waiting until it leaves.”

Pohatu was just about to do that when a large shadow fell over him. Looking up, the tiger saw the largest feline he’d ever encountered. It was at least double the size of a transformed lion laguz, every pound of which was muscle. Dark stripes ran through its white fur, with just a hint of yellow peppering its back. What chilled Pohatu the most, even more than the hungry look in its yellow eyes, was the black, rusting mask that covered most of its face. The piece of metal radiated hatred and evil, and the beast appeared ready to strike.

Pohatu chuckled nervously. “Hey, you wouldn’t happen to have a Plan B, now would you?”

“Run!” Kopaka screamed.

The tiger didn’t need to be told twice. He immediately sprinted along the edge of the crevice, relying on his strong legs to carry him far enough from the muaka to avoid its pounce. He felt the beast land on the icy rock behind him, its hot breath tickling the back of his neck, but Pohatu didn’t break stride. If he did, he was dead. And he didn’t feel like dying that day.

The muaka nipped at his heels right up to the end of the crevice, where it opened up into a snowy field. Pohatu leaped down, feeling the beast’s paw bat harmlessly at the end of his tail. But he kept running. He thought he heard Kopaka shouting something to him, but whatever it was, it was lost among the enormous cat’s frustrated snarls.

 _Probably doesn’t matter,_ the tiger considered in between panicked thoughts. _What else could he be saying? Run, but faster? Wait, is that an option?_

Without a second thought, Pohatu pushed as hard as he could off the ground, hoping to increase the length of each stride. It worked as intended, but he forgot where he was. Instead of leading right into another leap, his foot skidded across a hidden patch of ice, flying out from under him as he crashed to the ground.

Pohatu couldn’t chastise himself enough in the moments before the muaka would be upon him, so he settled for the next best thing.

“Help!”

* * * * * * * * * *

Kopaka cursed every spirit he could think of, both good and bad. He should’ve expected something coming after them, especially with how loud Pohatu was. But he’d been so focused on his own annoyance that it never occurred to him. Now, he’d be responsible for the poor tiger’s death.

“Not while I still draw breath!” the icy prince swore through clenched teeth. He doubled his pace, ignoring how the uneven walls of the crevice tore at his clothes and skin. It was nothing compared to the damage a muaka could inflict.

Just as he emerged into the openness of the Downfeather Snow Field, one word cut through the sounds of giant footsteps and the crunch of snow.

“Help!”

Kopaka’s hand flew to his sword. He wouldn’t be able to reach the muaka before it got its claws into the downed tiger, but he didn’t need to get there himself. Just his sword. Winding his arm back, the prince aimed at the muaka’s hindquarters. He didn’t have enough time to determine the best distance and angle, so he trusted that the Great Spirit would guide the blade to the correct target and threw.

The sword flew through the air, nearly missing the beast entirely, but it managed to leave a shallow cut along the beast’s haunch. The muaka let out a surprised yowl as the sword disappeared into the snow covering the ground. Kopaka allowed himself a smirk, though only for a moment, as the great cat wheeled around and snarled. The prince backed towards the crevice, hoping Pohatu would have enough time to get to safety before the muaka lost interest in the thing that hurt it.

Kopaka half turned to the crevice but paused when another roar pierced the air. The muaka stopped its advance at the same time, allowing a large, brown tiger the chance to pounce on the larger cat’s back.

“Pohatu?!” the icy prince shouted over the enraged snarls and growls.

The brown tiger nodded once and growled, “I got him! Get your sword!” Pohatu dug his claws in, holding tight as the muaka tried to throw him off.

“Idiot!” Kopaka hissed, even as he darted forward to the spot his blade disappeared. “You should’ve run!”

But it was no longer the time for complaints. Pohatu made his choice, and Kopaka would be damned if he turned his back on the tiger at that point. Blindly running his hands in the snow until he felt the leather-bound hilt, the icy prince took a defensive stance, ready to strike the instant the muaka got within range.

He didn’t wait long. With the muaka otherwise occupied with bucking Pohatu off its back, it wasn’t paying attention a mere matoran with a blade. When it turned its masked face towards the prince, Kopaka struck with all his might. He hoped for a lucky hit on its neck, but the muaka pulled back just enough so his sword caught the side of its mask. A jagged edge caught the blade, causing the rusted piece of metal to fly off the angry beast’s face with Kopaka’s momentum. The prince pulled back to ready another strike, determined to make the next one count.

However, it was like someone flicked a switch. The muaka staggered, shaking its head like someone waking from a long dream. It even seemed to ignore the claws digging into its back. Instead of continuing the fight, it turned away from the icy prince and began walking unsteadily out of the snow field.

Pohatu jumped down as it wandered away, remaining in his beast form until they could no longer see its black and white fur. “What just happened?” the tiger asked, brushing snow off his tunic as he shifted back. “Not that I’m complaining. Just confused.”

“You know as much as I do,” Kopaka admitted. “I suppose it must have something to do with that mask. I’ve never seen a muaka - or anything else - wear one.” Looking around, he couldn’t see the rusted metal anywhere. _The snow must’ve swallowed it. I need to ask Turaga Nuju if he’s ever seen a black mask like that one._

“Well, whatever it was, it’s gone now,” Pohatu chuckled. He flashed a smile at the icy prince, his easy smile almost making the prince grin as well. “Thanks, by the way. For not letting me become cat chow.”

Kopaka blinked. He couldn’t remember the last time someone thanked him with such genuine joy in his voice. Turning away, he cleared his throat and started walking again. “You asked for help. As an Ice matoran, I’m honorbound to give any help requested of me.”

“Doesn’t change how happy I am to be alive.”

Kopaka sighed as the tiger jogged up to his side, but allowed himself a small smile. “As am I. But if you’re going to keep following me, I will ask you not stray from the path again.”

“Heh heh, I’ll try.”

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and critiques are always welcome. And if you enjoyed this snippet, please let me know. I've got ideas for how to continue this, and I'd really like to know if that's something y'all would be interested in.


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